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Meet SA’s robotics king

With its supply of robots to the catalytic converter industry
growing from zero to 20% of its total business in five years,
Robotic Systems, of Johannesburg, has found yet another market with
booming demand for vertically articulated robots.

“With the yearly production of autocats in South Africa
expected to double in less than five years, we expect demand for
robots in this market could surpass even the demand for robots from
the rest of the automotive component manufacturing sector
combined,” says Robotic Systems MD Terry Rosenberg.

Catalytic converter manufacturers like Tenneco, Autocat, Arvin
Exhaust, AP Parts, Zeuna Starker, Precision Exhaust, and Magnetti
Marelli already head up the company’s client list.
Essentially, robots are computer-controlled machine tools that can
be programmed to perform a range of functions from welding a car
chassis to assisting a surgeon in performing delicate
operations.

The word ‘robot’ was, in fact, taken from the Czech
word robota, meaning drudgery, which is exactly where present-day
robots come into the picture – they perform uncomfortable,
tiring or monotonous tasks and do so with greater speed and
accuracy than human beings.

The first generation of robots was employed by the automotive
assembly and component manufacturing industry in the 1970s. Today,
this industry accounts for 80% of the world’s robots in
use.

Light general engineering, heavy fabrication and the food, beverage
and consumer industries account for the remainder of the robot
client base.

The irony is that, although these first-generation robots were
developed in the US, it is the Japanese and Europeans that have
perfected robot technology and, furthermore, that no robots are
even manufactured on US soil any more. Not surprisingly, Robotic
Systems is the local representative of Yaskawa Electric
Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, which produces the Motoman range of
robots.

Yaskawa, one of the top-ten robot manufacturers in the world,
produces some 6 000 robots a year.

The company, through its parent, offers a product range which
provides for about 90% robot applications, such as arc- and
spot-welding, glueing and sealing, cutting and materials
handling.

“The South African market accounts for sales of about 100
robots a year in total, which may not seem like a large percentage
in world terms, but still represents what is undoubtedly the most
significant, if not the only, market in Africa as far as robots are
concerned,” indicates Rosenberg. Robotic Systems has supplied
more than 350 Motoman robots to the local market in its 18-year
existence, and sold 36 robots last year, with the remainder
supplied by local competitors or by German and Asian robot
suppliers, which have concluded global supply contracts with the
parent companies of local manufacturers. The latter option has
become the trend in the automotive world in particular, with parent
companies like BMW, DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen signing
blanket-order contracts with some of the main European robot
manufacturers for the supply of an unknown number of robots to meet
the needs of their subsidiaries worldwide.

BMW reportedly brought out a full factory from Germany, robots
included, in line with the facelift of its Rosslyn plant to
accommodate the manufacture of the new 3-series model.

Rosenberg is of the opinion that this trend is becoming more
apparent in the hi-tech industries, and that the less-advanced
industries are likely to follow suit.

The biggest implication of this trend is the cost reduction it
offers because, although robot prices are roughly 20% lower than
they were in yen terms about 20 years ago, currency fluctuations
have meant that some countries, South Africa included, could end up
paying ten times the amount for a robot than they would have paid
then.

On the upside, he reminds that a robot has a life of about ten
years before it is technologically obsolete, while it usually pays
for itself within two to three years.

The globalisation of technology sourcing has led Rosenberg to
rethink the position of his company in the context of Motoman
Europe.

Robotic Systems has had a solid relationship with the Motoman
subsidiary in Europe for some time now and, in an effort to cement
this relationship, entered into discussions with the subsidiary to
acquire a majority shareholding in the South African company late
last year.

Yaskawa already owns 24% of Robotic Systems.

“Should this deal materialise, it will result in investment
in this country and would place us in an even stronger position
than we already are,” reasons Rosenberg.

One area provoking much debate and resulting in little conformity
concerns the form that the next generation of robots will
take.

Elaborating on world trends, Rosenberg says that the industry is
working with faster, lighter, more accurate and user-friendly
fifth- and sixth-generation robots, but the trend seems to be
moving towards the development of intelligent robots.

Despite all the research and development, Rosenberg reports that
nothing tangible has materialised as yet.

“In the end, we still have to produce a machine that can be
relied upon to perform a repetitive range of tasks as well as or
even better, than humans can”.